“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” :-Gautam Buddha The National Symbol of India was adopted from an Ashoka Pillar originally found here in Sarnath. The Lion Capital of Ashoka is a sculpture of four lions sitting back to back, along with the ‘Dharm Chakra’ (Wheel of Dharma/ Ashoka Chakra, having 24 spokes) placed on top and installed on top of a pillar (Stupa, Stambh). Ashoka installed the famous Ashoka Pillar here which was broken down by Turk and Islamic intruders. Remains of the pillar could be still found in its original location with the inscriptions in Brahmi script. The Lion Capital and Ashoka Chakra have been kept safe in the adjoining museum of Archeology. The four lions represent power, courage, confidence and pride. It also depicts Ashoka’s rule spread out in four directions. Besides the lions, the pillar also has a horse, a bull, an elephant and a lion, signifying the different states of Buddha’s life. The monolithic polished Chunar sandstone pillar is 15.25 m high (0.71 m diameter at the base and 0.56 at the top). Sarnath is located 10 Km from Varanasi of Uttar Pradesh in India […]